


Follow Your Arrow

by Magnetism_bind



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Awkward Romance, Bank Robbery, Betrayal, Cunnilingus, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, F/F, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Friendship, Happy Ending, Oral Sex, bartender!Silver, federal marshal!Flint, gambler!Max, sheriff!Eleanor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-31 21:13:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17857034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnetism_bind/pseuds/Magnetism_bind
Summary: As the first female sheriff in the territory, Eleanor's barely gotten Nassau Town under control when fresh trouble arrives in the form of her old friend, James Flint. Federal marshal, and tracker, Flint's hot on the heels of two bank robbers and he enlists Eleanor's help to bring them in.





	Follow Your Arrow

 

 

Eleanor wiped her bandanna over her brow and squinted at the prairie around her. It was just a little past dawn. The outer rim was empty as far as the eye could see. Though the sun was barely up it was already hot as a stove top. Eleanor drew in a deep breath. She loved this time of day. She preferred getting in her morning rides before she dealt with the day’s business. It was peaceful in a way. She liked to take moments like this as she could. Peace was often hard to come by in a frontier town though it had settled down some ever since she had become sheriff two years ago.

She felt surge of pride as she thought about that. Youngest sheriff in the territory and the only woman to take on the job, for that matter. Damn straight she deserved her few moments of peace.

Eleanor cast another look at the expanse of prairie and took a deep breath. Tugging her hat down she  wheeled her horse around to head back to town.

 

 *  *  *

 

A tall man was sitting on the porch of her office, hat brim pulled down low, dusty boots propped up on the railing of her porch. Eleanor studied him as she approached, and then a smile broke over her face.

"Son-of-a-bitch, you made it!"

Flint tilted his hat back and grinned up at her. "Still got your guns, I see."

He rose to his feet and she put her arms around him. Flint was the only man in the town of Nassau frankly, that she felt comfortable doing so and she appreciated that.

"Come in and have a drink." She kept a bottle stashed in her office for occasions such as this.

Flint followed her, closing the door behind him. Eleanor led the way over to her desk where she got out two tin cups and her bottle of whiskey.

"What brings you to town?" She didn't bother asking if it was business or pleasure. It was always business with Flint. He'd never shown a whit of interest in any of the women in town, whether they were at the brothel or not.  

"Been tracking two bank robbers." Flint's grin was predatory, lethal even. He was on the hunt and pleased about it. "Interesting duo, man and a woman."

"Hmm." Eleanor considered this as she poured them each a drink. "And what do they do when they're not robbing banks?"

"Well, now, that's the question, isn't it?" Flint leaned against her desk. "If I knew the answer to that, they'd already be under arrest."

Eleanor grinned. "At least it gave you an excuse to ride this way." She lifted her whiskey, "To old friends."

"To old friends." Flint echoed her toast. 

"You hungry?" Eleanor asked after they’d shared the drink.

Flint nodded. “Been riding all night. Food sounds good.”

 

*  *  *

 

They made their way over to the saloon and Eleanor took her usual table. It held a good view of the place where she could watch the rest of saloon's activities, and keep a close eye on the poker table, which was how she took most of her meals these days.

They'd barely settled into their seats before the bartender moseyed over to them. "What can I get for you, sheriff?"

Eleanor noticed Flint's noticing the young man matter-of-factly. "Beer, for me and my friend."

"Sure thing." the bartender nodded at her, before glancing at Flint. "Anything to eat?"

"You can cook?" Flint asked skeptically.

The bartender laughed and Eleanor shot a curious glance between him and Flint.

"The cook's in the back, and he's happy to rustle up steak and eggs, stew, biscuits and gravy. Whatever you fancy. All I do is tend bar."

Flint muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I bet that's not all you do.' 

"Biscuits and gravy." Eleanor told the bartender, who again looked at Flint who nodded finally.

“Same.”

“Sure thing. I’ll be right back with those beers.”

Flint watched the man walk back over to the bar, his eyes narrowing.

"Something you care to share?" Eleanor drawled.

"Not just yet." Flint took out his smokes and lit one.

Eleanor sat back in her chair and looked at him. He looked wearier than usual. To be frank, she wasn’t sure she had ever noticed him looking tired before. His vitality and obsession usually took the forefront of their short visits together. Now she looked at Flint with clear eyes and saw him as he was, a man still pursuing the chase, but worn lean by it over the years. She wondered suddenly, if he was ever content, ever let himself be still and enjoy a moment. When was the last time Flint had watched the sunrise just for the hell of it?

The bartender brought over their beers and told them it'd be a few minutes for the food. He sauntered back over to the bar. Eleanor bummed a cigarillo from Flint and sipped her beer as she idly let her gaze drift back over to the poker table.

The game was in full swing. Over from the bar, the bartender watched as the lady in the middle of the game slowly but steadily emptied the pot again and again. Flint watched the bartender, and Eleanor watched Flint watching the bartender watching the gambler. That was half a lie. Eleanor was also watching the lady gambler; she had  _been_  watching the lady gambler for the past few weeks. It had become the high point of her days, something to look forward to. Sipping a cold beer and sitting in a dark corner with the piano playing in the corner, and listening to the sound of the woman's voice if she were lucky enough to catch it.

The lady gambler was good. Eleanor wasn't able to put her finger on it, she didn’t play much herself, but she could tell the woman was skilled at what she did, and yet it was more than that. She was attractively attired but not ostentatious. She drew the eye, as did any woman playing in a saloon, but the focus didn't stay solely on the game, and that Eleanor suspected was the trick. She hadn't decided if the woman simply didn't want the men to notice she nearly always took home most of the pot, or what, but she definitely had technique, and honed skills put to good use.

That wasn't the only reason Eleanor enjoyed watching her, though that was what she had told herself at the beginning. Mostly she just liked watching the woman because she was good at what she did, and she was attractive. 

Eleanor wasn't usually attracted to other women. Or rather, she usually found excuses to avoid being attracted to them. She told herself she didn't care for women who painted themselves, nor the tanned, windswept girls running wild across the prairie. She hadn't been attracted to the delicate boarding school girls she had grown up with back East before she had come out here to join her father, only to find him abandoning his post and leaving her in a wild town. She had had two options, she could turn tail like her father and go home, go back to her grandparents’ house and sit drinking tea in sitting rooms, waiting to be married off to some acceptable suitor and endure a marriage of respectability and boredom and eventual offspring. Or she could dig in her heels and stand firm, and find something to do here.

So that’s what she had done. She’d run for the position of sheriff, and the townsfolk, desperate for law at any cost, had accepted her. She knew at times, that they regretted their desperation, once or twice enough to try to oust her out of her office and into a homestead kitchen where they thought she belonged, but Eleanor just dug her heels in harder and held her ground and so she stayed. It had been three years and she was still here. 

Flint on the other hand, hunched over in his seat, stroking his beard and biting tensely at the thumbnail, lost in thought, was not as preoccupied with the lady gambler as Eleanor was. His focus was still mostly for the bartender.

"Something in particular interesting you?" Eleanor inquired. She'd seen Flint on the hunt many times before, but there was something new here, and she cast a fresh eye at the bartender. She had looked him over when he first appeared in town a few weeks ago, but the man wasn’t her type. Curly-haired and bright-smiled and entirely too charming. She knew the girls in the brothel liked him, and Jack would hire anyone in his establishment as long as they made business blossom and the bartender certainly didn’t harm it. 

"How long has he worked here?" Flint jerked his head at the bartender.

"A few weeks, why?"

Flint glanced over at the lady gambler then, studying her a moment. "Arrived in town around the same time as her?"

With a sinking feeling in her gut, Eleanor nodded. "Same train in fact." She liked to disregard that fact when she came here in the evenings, but sometimes matters were hard to ignore.

Flint looked at her then. "What is it?"

"They're staying together at the hotel." She didn't like to think of that part either, though she often reminded herself of it late at night when she'd felt inclined to linger by the poker table and ask the lady if she cared for a drink. They were together, but they were not newly weds, or anything of the like, though they had shared the same name in the book when she'd casually looked.  _Max and John Silver,_ written in neat lettering.

Flint nodded to himself grimly. "I think they're the ones I want."

"You're not serious." Eleanor looked at them, and then it clicked. Of course, they arrived in town, got established, learned the lay of the land and the routines, were friendly with the townsfolk and then broke into the bank, easy as pie.

That's what came of finding a woman pretty. It distracted you, made your senses dull. Eleanor gripped the butt of her pistol. She wouldn't find herself distracted again.

"How do you want to play it?" She was the sheriff, but Flint was a federal marshal. When it came down to it, it was his call here. This his mission and she had to back his play.

"I need proof. I need to catch them. I can't arrest 'em purely on suspicion." Flint took a sip of beer. "You been up to their room, seen anything suspicious?"

"And how would I have had call to do that?" Eleanor demanded.

Flint just shrugged. "The woman's mighty pretty. I could see an excuse in that direction."

Eleanor felt her cheeks flush and reached for her beer. "Same goes for the bartender." She pointed out. It was a hunch, but a pretty good one in her estimation. Flint might never had shown any interest in any of the women, but once or twice she'd thought she'd seen his eyes stray in the direction of men passing through town and now with the way he’d looked at the bartender, she was pretty damn sure which way he tended to lean.

Flint scowled and didn’t meet her eyes. "One of us needs to get up to that room and look around."  He took another sip of beer. "Flip you for it?" 

"What exactly are you suggesting we do, marshal?" Eleanor let just a hint of ice seep into her voice. She didn't play those kinds of games, with men or women, and Flint damn well knew it.

"Eleanor, we need to get them. If we find the slightest thing..." He looked desperate for a moment and she realized she really had never seen him like this, willing to do anything to catch his prey, even sneaking into a suspect’s room to find evidence. For a moment she was almost disappointed.

"Fine." She agreed. "What do you want?" 

"Heads, I'll keep the bartender occupied, while you go up and look around. Tails, you keep the gambler distracted while I do."

"All right." Eleanor watched as he spun the coin high in the air and caught it in his palm. She wasn’t sure which she even hoped it would be.

"Tails." Flint grinned at her. “Good luck.”

“Same to you.” She lifted her beer in a toast. She was gonna need another drink.

 

 *  *  *

 

They went back to her office so Flint could get some shuteye before the evening’s activities.

She checked over her guns and finished some paperwork while Flint slept in the cot in the back room. The restless feeling wouldn’t leave her though.

What was she supposed to talk about with the woman? It had been so long since Eleanor had tried to make civilized conversation with someone, she barely remembered how to do it. The lady gambler had probably never made camp in the dust, never ridden for days so that your body ached all over but you had to keep going. She’d probably never…

Eleanor brought herself up shortly. If Max was one of the bank robbers as Flint suspected, she had done all that and more, and she had to remember that. Setting her jaw, Eleanor reached for her guns and started cleaning them all over again.

 

 *  *  *

 

They planned it at the end of the evening. The saloon closed at two, but the poker game could end at any point. Eleanor would stick around and invite the woman for a drink while Flint headed over to the hotel. It was easy enough to flash a badge and get the clerk to let you into a room. Eleanor wished to high hell she'd won the coin toss instead of sitting here like a fool. 

The bartender came over to clear away the dishes. "Your friend couldn't stay for another drink?" He asked casually.

"Not tonight." Eleanor said, and then an idea struck her. "But he might be tomorrow."

"Really." The bartender eyed her. "He going to be in town long?"

"A week at least." Eleanor told him. "I'll tell him you said to stop by for a drink."

"You do that." Silver grinned. And when she tried to pay for the meal and drinks he shook it off. "On the house."

 

 *  *  *

 

There was a shift happening at the poker table. Eleanor steadied herself. This was it. She watched Max rose and all the players at the table rose as well, including Jack, the owner of the saloon.

"I find myself in need of a smoke, gentleman." Max nodded to them. "Thank you for a delightful game as always."

"The pleasure was all ours." Jack bowed. and the others all nodded to her as she walked over to the bar.

Eleanor pushed herself to her feet and walked over all casual like.

"-think I might go up to the hotel. I am feeling tired tonight."

"I'll bring a bottle over when I come up." Silver told her, and then his gaze shifted over her shoulder to Eleanor, and Max turned.

"Sorry for interrupting." Eleanor touched the tip of her hat, "but...ah, I was wondering if the lady might care for a drink."

Max just eyed her for the longest moment. 

"If you're not feeling up to it, I understand completely." Eleanor said immediately, "I just wanted to...to..." Her cheeks heated and she ducked her head, not wanting Max to see how nervous she was.

"No, I would like that." Max reached out and put a hand on her wrist, causing Eleanor to immediately tense up. She couldn't remember how words worked. Max's hand was so warm and soft. She wanted to take it and hold it between her own hands and kiss the palm of it very slowly. 

Silver was watching the both of them. "Why don't you take the corner alcove?" He nodded to it. "I'll bring your drinks over to you."

Max gave him a look but finally nodded. "If that's acceptable?"

"That's fine." Eleanor had been worried she'd suggest they go up to her hotel room, when that was the very place they were supposed to be keeping out of for now.

Max led the way to the alcove, which was partially shrouded by a hanging fringe curtain but the view of the rest of the saloon wasn't obstructed. Through the fringe Eleanor could see Silver pouring them some wine.

"Well." Max settled herself upon the chaise lounge, gazing at her. "I have been in town nearly three weeks and only now you ask me for a drink?" There was a teasing lilt to her voice that made Eleanor duck her head again as she removed her hat. Her hair was coiled in tight braids around her head, and she was looking forward to tonight when she could take them down. 

She shrugged. "I didn't know if you and he..." She nodded at the bartender.

"My partner and I share a room only out of financial necessity." Max told her, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. "He is very pretty, no?"

"Sure, if you like that sort of thing." Eleanor agreed.

Max laughed, and the sound of it went straight to Eleanor's stomach, making her muscles tighten with unexplained longing.

“Here you are, ladies.” Silver set two glasses of red wine down in front of them. “Enjoy.”  Eleanor wasn’t entirely sure but she could have sworn Silver winked at Max.

Max leaned back in her chair to study her. "Are you saying you don't?" 

It took Eleanor a moment to remember what they had been talking about before Silver. The question held a pointed note, as though Max had already made up her mind about Eleanor, about the sort of person Eleanor shared her bed with, and nothing Eleanor was going to say was going to change her mind. Suddenly, all Eleanor wanted to do was prove her wrong.

"Not so much." She said casually. She took a sip of her wine.

"Oh?" Max arched an eyebrow but she sounded a little more interested. 

Eleanor inclined her head, indicating the table, the two of them sharing a drink. "This is more to my taste."

"Oh." Max murmured a second time. This time there was a decidedly amused slant to her tone.

"What is it?" Eleanor felt herself growing defensive.

"It's simply that I heard differently." Max shrugged her shoulders lightly, as though to say it were a matter of little consequence, nothing of importance, hardly worth mentioning. "They said that there was a trail hand that-"

"That's over." Eleanor interrupted. "It's....done." She had made mistakes when she first came to town, tried to show her father that she could handle herself, that he wasn't the boss of her, and one of the mistakes she had made was getting involved with Charles Vane. He was a trail hand for one of the big ranches, always riding into town and causing trouble. She had thought it was exciting at the time; now she knew it for the nuisance that it was. The amount of times she had had to arrest him was appalling. Half the time he was doing it just to get her to notice him, which only made her disdain grow even more.

She wondered which of the "good intentioned" townsfolk had told Max, which of them she had to blame for the flash of pity in Max's eyes. 

"It's quite all right." Max said abruptly. "We've all made mistakes that we regret. It's how we move past those mistakes that shape our future days."

Eleanor made a wry look. "I doubt your mistakes look anything like mine."

Max grinned, and for a moment Eleanor forgot how to breathe, "You'd be surprised." She lifted her wine in a toast. "To better decisions and enjoyable pastimes."

Eleanor clinked her glass against Max's. watching the dip in her cleavage as she had leaned forward, the shadowy promise of delightful curves. Eleanor forced herself to look away. Max wasn't the first woman she'd been drawn to, but she was careful, here in this small town. she couldn't let herself get carried away. No matter how much she wanted to.

The sound of glasses being set down at the bar caught her attention and she jerked her head up to see Silver setting a crate down. He was looking at them, smiling slightly. 

"I'm heading out." He called.

"See you." Max called back, without looking at him. 

As flattering as that was, as much as Eleanor wanted to stay and talk with her, they hadn't discussed what to do with in the event that Silver left early. What the fuck was she supposed to do now? 

"You seem agitated." Max observed. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no." Eleanor tried to assure her. "It's just later than I thought. I should finish my rounds soon."

"What about that marshal you were with earlier? Can't he see to your rounds?"

"You're very well informed about a man who's only been in town since this morning." Eleanor said slowly. How had Max learned that? 

Max shrugged again. "I'm a gambler, it's worth my while to know what sort of men are in town, how much money they might make, and whether they can be persuaded to join a friendly game of cards." She leaned in closer. "You seemed disappointed that my friend left. Are you sure there’s no message you might wish me to give him?"

"No." Eleanor said a little more sharply than she intended. Should she try to keep Max here longer even though Silver had either interrupted Flint already or found the room empty. If only she knew which one, if only she had been able to warn him somehow. 

"As you say." Max rose to her feet. "But it is getting late and I should be returning to my hotel." 

"I'll walk you." Eleanor said, rising quickly.

Max smiled slightly. "You do not have to do that, sheriff."

"I'd like to." Eleanor said firmly, trying to quash the thrill she felt at Max saying sheriff, the soft way the word slipped across her tongue.

 

*  *  *

 

The street was silent and dark as they walked out of the saloon. The hotel was a few buildings down. Eleanor was glad of the excuse to walk along with Max, even if the other woman thought she was secretly interested in her partner. What a mess she’d made of everything! She hoped Flint had gotten something useful out of his examination of the hotel room to make this whole encounter worth it.

"Well, sheriff, this is my stop." Max paused at the hotel steps. "It was a pleasure." She held out her hand.

Eleanor forced herself to take it. "I'm glad." She was torn between utter agony and overwhelming delight at touching Max. The press of Max's hand against hers sent tremors through her body. Eleanor was glad of the darkness, and her hat tipped down over her brow, in the broad light of day she knew she'd be blushing. 

There was the briefest moment where Max shifted slightly in the dark and Eleanor thought, or feared, or hoped that she was leaning in towards her. Her pulse raced like a thoroughbred loosed over the prairie, and she couldn’t think of a single thing in the world except for the thought of Max’s mouth on hers.

“Well...” Max said at last. ”I…”

"Perhaps you'd like to take a buggy ride some evening." She blurted out, then knew for certain she had gone bright crimson. What possessed her asking such a thing? Even if Silver and her weren't the thieves Flint was hunting, Max was still a gambler, just passing through. There was no use getting hooked on a woman who was just going to leave town. It would only hurt in the end.

It was too dark to see whether Max looked surprised or not. "I'd like that." She said, and then turned to go. "Goodnight, sheriff."

"Night." Eleanor stood there, elation filling her, and then just quickly, foolishness at her gesture.

Just then a shape moved in the shadows and she turned quickly, her hand dropping to the butt of her gun.

"Buggy ride, huh?" Flint's low voice inquired as he strolled out of the dark. 

"Shut up." Eleanor growled. 

They fell into step together, heading for the sheriff’s office.

 "Well?" She demanded.

"Well what?" Flint sounded miles away.

"Did you find anything in their room before Silver came back?"

Flint tensed slightly, no more than a twitch really, not much to go by. If it was someone else Eleanor might not have thought much of it at all. But Flint...he was different, always kept his cards close to the vest. Any tell of his meant something, even if Eleanor had no idea what.

"No." He said reluctantly. "I didn't find anything."

"That's good isn't it?"

"Good?" Flint repeated sharply, looking at her. "How is that good?"

'Well, I mean, it means they're not the...bank robbers." Eleanor trailed off stupidly. She couldn't say why she was glad they weren't the bank robbers, couldn't tell Flint of all men, that spending time with a woman, a woman like Max, meant more than a bouquet of roses from the fanciest dandy this side of the Mississippi. That she, goddamn her stupid foolishness, _liked_  Max.

"Yeah, I'm not too sure about that." Flint told her. 

"Why not?" Eleanor asked too sharply. They were nearly back to her office and she was ready to call it a night. It was long after midnight and she wanted to get some sleep. 

"They're still hiding something. If they're not the thieves, what are they doing in town?"

"Playing poker, tending bar." Eleanor heard the exasperation in her voice and didn't try to temper it. "What're you getting at it, anyway?"

"There's something still itching at my gut." Flint kept at it. "Something just out of sight."

Eleanor sighed. "I take it you're sticking around in town then." 

Flint grinned a little. "Sad to hear it?"

Eleanor shook her head. "You know you're welcome to bunk with me as long as you want."

"I know." Flint nodded. "It's appreciated."

Eleanor just sighed again. "Come on in and I'll get you a blanket." 

 

*  *  *

 

Flint slept in the little room behind the office, the one Eleanor stayed in when she had a particularly ornery prisoner in the lockup that she wanted to keep an eye on. Tonight she went up the back stairs to her tiny apartment on the floor above. 

Eleanor stripped off her clothes and underthings, slinging them over the back of her chair for tomorrow. She washed quickly, not bothering to take much stock of herself in the mirror. She liked what she saw for the most part, liked that she no longer looked as frail as she once had when she first came out west. Her arms were rounded, tan and muscled. She could swing a good punch when the situation called for it, and could arm wrestle most of the men in town.

She wondered what Max would think of her, and quickly reached for her night shirt before she let herself think too long on that. Pulling it over her head, she walked over to the window and looked out at the quiet night. Nassau Town was just starting out, but the street of buildings was getting longer. She could see the top of the hotel down across the, all the windows dark. For a moment, no longer than, Eleanor let herself linger at the window, wondering which dark silhouette guarded Max's room, and then she blew out her lamp and slipped into bed.

 

 

*  *  *

 

After the previous evening Eleanor dreamed of Max and woke with her cheeks flushed and her hand between her legs. Christ, one almost kiss with a woman and here she was practically drooling like a hound dog in heat over her. dreaming about her, touching herself over her.

She rose, stripped off her nightshirt and poured water into the basin. She washed herself briskly , still aware of her dream and how she ached for Max to touch her.

She heated up some leftover biscuits and opened a can of beans, and fixed a plate to take down to Flint while she brewed coffee over the stove. He was just about the only man she'd do that much for, and that was a widely known fact. 

Flint washed up at the pump out back before coming to the table. With his hair freshly combed and the sleep washed from his eyes, Eleanor surveyed him for a moment. He was handsome enough, she supposed. She'd just never thought of Flint that way. It wasn't so much he was like a brother (something she had never had or wanted) or a father (something she had and often wished she hadn't)...he was simply, well,  _Flint_. An enigmatic hawk of a man who blew into town now and again, always making her life more interesting, if not downright troublesome. But Flint and her were as far from lovers as you could get. Eleanor had stitched up his wounds, seen him dead drunk, seen him face down an outlaw with more kills to his name. She’d trust him to the moon and back.

Yet she still wanted him to be wrong about Max, and even thinking that privately felt like a betrayal.

Flint thanked her for the plate of food and ate quickly, standing by the doorway, watching something on the horizon.

“Coffee?” Eleanor handed him a cup.

“Thanks.” Flint took a sip.

Eleanor poured a cup for herself and settled behind her desk.  

“You need to take her for that buggy ride.” Flint said abruptly.

“What? No fuck no.” Eleanor shook her head immediately.  The idea was just too appalling. Why oh why had she ever suggested it to begin with but Flint wouldn’t let it go.

“They’re hiding something in their room.” He insisted. “We just have to look again.”

“Then maybe it’s your turn to distract the bartender.” Eleanor shot back. If she went out with Max she wasn’t sure whether she’d able to keep from doing something idiotic.

“Flint shook his head. “Wouldn’t work, trust me.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Eleanor muttered.

Flint gave her a look but didn’t say anything. He drummed his fingers on the door frame.

“If we don’t find anything, then I’ll let it go.” Flint said it after a moment. “I’ll leave town.”

“I don’t want that.” Eleanor protested, but she did want them to be innocent. She couldn’t deny that. She took a sip of coffee. “If you don’t find anything this time, you’ll let it go?”

Flint nodded. “You have my word.”

Still she hesitated it.

“Well, do we have a bargain?” Flint held out his hand and reluctantly Eleanor took it.

 

*  *  *

 

Max responded to her note quickly enough, accepting the invitation to go for a buggy ride that evening. Eleanor read it over, admiring the delicate curves of the letter, resisting the urge to go hole up with her bottle of whiskey. What the fuck was she doing here anyway? Playing games with that woman simply because Flint wanted her to. It wasn’t fair. She wouldn’t let herself think about what she wanted. She was determined to enjoy the evening and Max’s company, simply for what it was. One of the fleeting pleasures in life that would be gone all too soon.

 

 *  *  *

 

The sun was sinking slowly over the hills when Eleanor brought her buggy around in front of the hotel to pick Max up.

Max stood there on the hotel porch, waiting and just seeing her there in her pretty little hat and red jacket made Eleanor’s heart beat faster. She tightened her grip on the reins, telling herself to settle down.

Max looked admiringly at the buggy. “What a fine buggy.”

Eleanor, who might have spent all afternoon polishing the buggy’s leather seats and harness, shrugged slightly, embarrassed by the compliment. “It’s nothing.”

She helped Max into the buggy and just the slight pressure of Max’s hand in hers enough to make Eleanor want to throw down her whip and take to the hills. What had she been thinking to listen to fucking Flint? This deception didn’t mean anything to him, but it was killing Eleanor, which in turn made her want to laugh at herself. She who had once played men’s hearts off against each other as though they were nothing was falling for a lady gambler, someone who might even be a bank robber?

She who once had accepted Woodes Roger’s proposal simply because it would buy her more time to align herself with the other farmers in the area. When she told him she had no intention of truly marrying him, the man had practically turned red with rage, but his ranch’s border line was still on the side of the valley where Eleanor preferred to keep it. The universe was clearly laughing at her.

She could do this. Couldn’t she?

Eleanor reached for the reins and gave a quick twitch, setting the horses to an easy gait as they drove out of town.

 

 *  *  *

 

The dusk was darkening into twilight when they pulled up by the river. The faintest hint of the summer moon dipped in and out of the clouds above them. The air was soft and the sound of crickets in the distance, low and musical.

Max sat back in the buggy with a faint sigh. “It’s a beautiful evening.”

“Yes it is.” Eleanor murmured. This was one of her favorite spots. She often rode out on here on her daily rides.

“You’re rather quiet.” Max observed. “What’re you thinking of, sheriff?”

“I’m thinking….doesn’t it get tiring, traveling from town to town as you do?” She cast a look at Max. “Don’t you ever want to put down roots?”

“Not particularly.” Max said frankly. “Most places, if you stay in them too long, reveal themselves to be more or less the same.” She gazed out over the darkening water.

“But that can’t be.” Eleanor protested. “It’s quite different to live in New York than out there. Why, the sky alone is so different here, so big, so freeing.” She broke off as she heard the faintest sound of Max laughing every so saintly. “I’m sorry if I’ve said something funny.”

“Oh no.” Max reached over and placed her hand on Eleanor’s arm, gazing into Eleanor’s eyes with such earnest intensity, it was almost more than Eleanor could bear. “Please forgive me. I wasn’t laughing really at you. You simply love this place so much, and I was thinking more of the people.”

“The people?” Eleanor repeated.

Max nodded. “I find the scenery very beautiful, but it’s the people I judge a place by.” She confessed. “And people are why I tend to prefer to keep moving.”

It was such a truthful statement, such unexpected honesty here in the deepening twilight Eleanor didn’t know what to do. She was still frozen when Max leaned over and kissed her.

 

*  *  *

 

After a moment when Eleanor hadn’t responded, Max drew back. “Forgive me if I have guessed wrong. I thought…” She broke off, looking at Eleanor with such puzzlement.

_You didn’t guess wrong. I want you, I want you so fucking much, and it would be a lie. And I don’t want to lie to you._

Eleanor cleared her throat and reached again for the reins. “I think we should head back into town.” The drive out here, even with the stay as brief as it had been, surely had to have been enough time for Flint to finish his search. And if it wasn’t, too damn bad.

“Of course.” Max turned in her seat, facing straight ahead.

The drive back into town passed in silence with Max still and quiet on the seat beside her, and Eleanor miserable and furious with herself in equal turns.

When they reached the hotel Max hopped out before Eleanor had barely had time to slow the horses.

“Goodnight, sheriff.”

“Max, please.” Eleanor couldn’t let her go just like that.

Max turned and looked at her, searchingly. “There doesn’t seem to be anything more to say.”

Eleanor hesitated. Was there some way she could be honest with Max about herself, and still uphold her position as sheriff? But the longer she looked into Max’s eyes, the more she knew she had to tell her something.

“Please…let me tie up the horses and then I’ll come back. I…want to explain, if you’ll let me.”

It felt like forever until Max finally nodded. “All right.” She went into the hotel and Eleanor pulled the horses around, heading for the stables.

Once she had settled the horses for the night she nearly turned tail again but the thought of that look in Max’s eyes kept her from doing so. Max didn’t think she would show, and Eleanor desperately wanted to prove her wrong.

 

 *  *  *

 

So she took a deep breath and knocked on Max’s door, half expecting Max not to let her in at all. After a moment Max opened the door and surveyed her.

“Come in.” She stood aside so Eleanor could enter.

“I brought this.” Eleanor raised the bottle of whiskey she had grabbed from her office. There had been no sign of Flint, but when she passed the saloon she had spotted him at the bar. That took care of that for now. If he had found something, anything, any sign of proof, he would have been waiting at her office. He was probably still convinced they were the robbers and didn’t want to admit that he was wrong, but for Eleanor this was enough.

Now she stood in front of Max and still didn’t know where to start.

“I…”

Without a word, Max reached for the bottle and opened it. “I have the feeling I’m going to need this.” She poured herself a decent whisky and held it out to Eleanor again.

Eleanor took the bottle and tipped it back. The familiar taste made her regain ground. She could do this. If Max didn’t want anything, she’d leave town soon enough and none of it would matter anyway.

“I like you.” Eleanor blurted out.

Max just looked at her and sipped her whiskey, clearly not impressed with the confession.

Eleanor’s cheeks filled with heat, but she soldiered on, determined to fucking get through this. “I…mean, I do. I wanted to kiss you back there, but I’m going to stay here in Nassau and you’re just going to leave, and is that worth it? Is that worth risking everything? Just for one night?”

Max licked her lips almost thoughtfully and that one gesture was nearly enough to make Eleanor fall to her knees with lust. “You’d be surprised sheriff, what one night in my bed is worth.”  She rose slowly to her feet.

Eleanor swallowed tightly as Max moved closer to her.

“I am not staying, that is true. I cannot offer you more than one night.” Max gazed up at her, eyes luminous and stark in their honesty, “But I think it will be worth it, if you’re willing to risk it?”

She tilted her head up slightly, just ever so slightly, a challenge and an invitation all in one, and Eleanor was no match for it. She dropped the bottle, ignoring it as it hit the floor and rolled. Her arms went around Max, as she took her in her arms, and claimed her mouth finally in a long, passionate kiss.

 

*  *  *

 

There was a dust storm blowing outside of town, but inside Max’s hotel room the outside world didn’t matter at all. Max had met Eleanor’s hunger with her own intensity, pushing her back up against the door and kissing her again hard as her hands reached for Eleanor’s vest, nearly ripping the buttons off in her haste.

Max had barely gotten the front of her shirt open and latched on to Eleanor’s eager breast, making Eleanor gasp when there was a knock at the door. They both froze, Max’s lips still wrapped around Eleanor’s nipple.

“Max? You there?”

“Shit.” Max broke free. “My partner.”

“I…what should we do?” Eleanor was already too breathless to think of a lie. She tugged her shirt closed and looked at Max.

“Max? Let me in.”

“I’ll tell him he needs to sleep elsewhere for the night.” Max pulled one of the blankets off the bottom of the bed.

Eleanor stared at her. “You would do that?”

Max nodded. “If I had thought to arrange it before, we would not have been so rudely interrupted.” She went over to the door and pulled it open.

“The hell was that about?” Silver entered. “What’s going on?” He stopped still at the sight of Eleanor standing there. “Ah, I see. Good evening, sheriff.”

“Evening.” Eleanor forced a smile. She bent down and grabbed the whiskey bottle, desperate to have something to do instead of meet Silver’s gaze. He knew all too fucking well what they were doing and she couldn’t stand it. Her breast stung inside her shirt, angry of its own accord at being interrupted when it hadn’t been touched like that in, well, never. She’d been with a woman before, but none of them had stirred her like Max.

“Silver.” Max held out the blanket.

“Are you serious?” He started to protest but she raised her eyebrows, drawing him over to the door. They talked quietly for a moment and Eleanor took a deep swig of whiskey.

Silver finally shrugged. “If you’re sure.” He looked sideways at Eleanor and then at Max again, who simply nodded.

At last he took the blanket from her with a sigh. “Very well. I’ll bid you goodnight, then. Sheriff.”

“Goodnight.” Eleanor lifted the bottle, resisting the urge to throw it at his head.

At last he was gone and the door locked again. Max leaned her head back against the door, and then to Eleanor’s surprise, she started laughing.

“Are you sure that’s all right?” Eleanor asked, setting the whiskey down. At the back of her head there was the faintest worry of what if Silver told someone…but a man like Silver, a gambler and a charmer, and possibly one who probably also fancied the pants off the federal marshal, was not going to report them.

Max gave another laugh. “It’s quite all right.” She cocked her head, smiling at Eleanor. “Now, where were we?”

“Here.” Eleanor said, slipping her shirt off and letting it drop to the floor. Her breasts throbbed as Max gazed at her.

Max crossed the room towards her. “Do you have any idea,” her fingers brushed the tip of Eleanor’s breast, “how beautiful you are, sheriff?”

She led Eleanor over to the bed and lightly pushed her down upon it, before settling on Eleanor’s lap.

Eleanor shivered as Max’s mouth returned to her nipple, while Max’s hand found its way inside her jeans. The first stroke of Max’s skilled fingers against her mound made her gasp.

“Every night you would come into the saloon and I’d see you in the corner,” Max whispered, kissing her way across Eleanor’s chest to her right breast, “And every night I dreamed of doing this to you.”

“Fuck, Max.” Eleanor panted.

“What did you dream of?” Max asked, looking at her. “All those nights you watched me?”

“This.” Eleanor clasped her face with both hands, drawing her in for another kiss. She wanted to taste every inch of Max’s skin, wanted to lick the sweat from her breasts, and the juices between her thighs. She wanted to feel every shudder and gasp when Max climaxed, she wanted the world, all in one night.

But most of all she wanted this, Max’s mouth, her tongue, her lips, her desire.

Max gazed at her as their lips finally parted. “You…” She didn’t finish the sentence but merely pressed her fingers harder, teasing around Eleanor’s clit until Eleanor couldn’t take it any longer.

“Max, please.”

Finally Max pressed a finger inside her, her thumb pressing Eleanor’s clit and with a moan, Eleanor came quick and heated.

Her legs felt weak even though she was sitting down.

“Here.” Max slipped off her lap and they both ended up backwards on the bed on a heap. Max kissed her way down Eleanor’s belly to her thighs, settling Eleanor’s legs over her shoulders as she buried her face in Eleanor’s cunt.

“You smell divine.” Max raised her head to grin wickedly at Eleanor, “And I intend to worship every inch of you before the dawn.”

 

 *  *  *

 

The next morning the sky was clear, the dust storm had faded, and the sun was bright. Eleanor stretched her arms over her head with a glorious sigh. Max was right. A night in her bed was worth all the risks in the world. She yawned and reached for her pack of cigarillos.

“Do you mind if I smoke?” She looked questioningly at Max who was sprawled across the bed, one hand propped against her chin as she gazed at Eleanor.

“Go ahead.” Max nodded at the table. “There’s an ashtray there.”

“Thanks.” Eleanor reached for it, moving closer. She lit the cigarillo and inhaled, feeling a deep contentment settle into her bones.

“You look very pleased with yourself.” Max remarked, brushing her fingertips over Eleanor’s leg. It was a lazy, aimless gesture that Eleanor liked more than she wanted to admit.

“My father hates it when I smoke.” Eleanor told her. “I took it up when I was still at school, just to annoy him, and then found I liked it just for myself.”

“And this.” Max kept up the lazy motion of her hand. “Is this something you do to annoy your father as well?”

It took Eleanor a moment to realize what she meant, and then she shook her head. “No. I mean, he wouldn’t be happy about it,” She made a wry face at the thought of ever discussing such a subject with her father. “But it’s not for that. It’s just because….” She licked her lips. “it’s me.”

Max just smiled at her and somehow Eleanor knew she understood all the things Eleanor had left unsaid.

She stubbed her cigarillo out and reached for Max. This might  have been just for one night, but she wanted to make every damn minute count before they said their farewells.

 

*  *  *

 

When they did say their farewells, Max said, “See you tonight at the saloon?” and Eleanor had nodded before kissing her quickly and going out the door.

Maybe Max was leaving town, maybe this wouldn’t last but for now Eleanor couldn’t squash the joy brimming up inside her. She felt lighter than air as she walked down the street to her office.

 

*  *  *

 

The moment she stepped inside though, her heart dropped. Flint sat at her desk, his shoulders hunched wearily. There on the desk lay a set of safe-cracking tools and a stack of bills.

Eleanor gazed at them.

“They were the saddlebags in the stable.” Flint nodded at them. He nodded to the whiskey standing on the desk. “Here.” He’d poured her a shot in readiness.

“Where’d you get this?” Eleanor asked colorlessly. She took the whiskey and knocked it back, waiting for it to kick in.

“I got my own stash out once I realized you’d taken yours for the night.” Flint paused there but when Eleanor didn’t say anything, he continued. “Well?”

Eleanor swallowed. “When do you want to move?”

“Now.” Flint said. “They’ll be cutting out as soon as they realize the tools are gone.”

“Are you sure?” Eleanor heard the tremor in her voice and tried to steady it. “I mean, they came in on the train.”

“Silver purchased horses two days ago.” Flint sighed. “They were probably planning on hitting the bank soon and wanted to have their getaway plan ready.”

Eleanor nodded. She looked at the money. “The bills?”

“The numbers match those taken from a bank in St. Louis.” Flint said. “Eleanor, I’m sorry.”

She looked at him then. “For what? This isn’t your fault. You’re just doing your job.” It was all her own fault for getting involved, for letting her heart free.

She poured another shot of whiskey and drank it. “Let’s go.”

 

*  *  *

 

The walk back to the hotel was the longest Eleanor had ever taken. It seemed an eternity ago that she had been heading in the opposite direction, happy as a lark. Now her feet were leaden, every step forced and painful.

She led the way up to the room, only pausing briefly before knocking on the door. “Max?”

There was no answer and she took a deep breath, pushing the door open.

Flint and she stood there in the doorway together, taking in the empty room. There was no sign of Max, though Eleanor could still smell her perfume in the air.

Flint swore. “Come on."

He took the stairs three at a time, and Eleanor followed, heading for the stables at a run.

The stalls were empty.

Eleanor gripped the butt of her gun. “We better get after them.”

“You don’t have to come with me.”

Eleanor swung around to look at him sharply. “Are you shitting me? You know damn well I do.”

Flint knew enough not to argue with her.

 

 *  *  *

 

They readied their horses and headed out in the direction of the hills. They rode in silence. There was no need for talking and Eleanor didn’t have the heart for it. Max had seduced her and Eleanor had been fool enough to let it happen. Now she was paying the price. She gritted her teeth and slapped her reins, urging her horse faster.

They had ridden for half a day when they hit the foothills and as they rounded the curve of the mountain Flint pulled his horse up sharp, causing Eleanor to do the same.

He gestured up ahead where he’d caught sight of a lone figure holding a white flag.

“They want to talk.” Flint stroked his beard pensively. “Eleanor….”

“We have to at least hear what they have to say.” She said firmly.

He gave her a look and then sighed. “And then what?”

“Then we arrest them.” Eleanor muttered. She didn’t want to, she didn’t want to do any of this, but it was her duty.

She sighed and nudged her horse forward with her heels.

Somberly they started riding again, heading for the white flag and the confrontation ahead. 

 

 *  *  *

 

When they made it to the top of the slope though, it was Eleanor who pulled her horse up short then. The sight waiting for them wasn’t what she expected. Max stood at the top of the slope, holding the flag. But off to the right crouched in the dirt, his hands bound behind his back, and a bandanna tied tight around his mouth was Silver.  Beside him lay one of the saddlebags.

Eleanor stared at him, and then looked at Max. “What’s going on?”

“Why’s he tied?” Flint jerked his head at Silver. “What’s your play?”

“I want to make a deal.” Max held her gaze on Eleanor, but Eleanor knew full well she wasn’t discounting Flint’s presence close behind her. “Leave your guns with your saddle so we can negotiate.”

Eleanor looked over her shoulder at Flint. He cast a quick look at her.

“Where are your weapons?” Eleanor demanded.

Max gestured to the pistol at her belt “That’s my gun. Silver’s is in his saddlebag.”

“Again,” Flint’s voice was measured and cool. “Why’s he tied up?”

Silver muttered something through the gag but Max just ignored him. She cocked her head and looked up at Flint. “That’s something you will have to find out during our negotiations.” She waited.

Eleanor nodded and swung down from the saddle. She removed the gun from her gun belt and hung it around her saddle horn. “Flint.”

“Eleanor.”

She shot him a look and finally he swung down.

“Your gun, marshal.” Max said evenly.

Flint exhaled and then took his gun out and tossed it in the dirt.

Eleanor moved towards Max. “What’s your deal, Max?"

“I’ll give you Silver, and half the money.” She nodded at the saddlebag lying next to Silver.

Eleanor cast a look at Silver who looked at her with heated eyes behind his gag, but was unable to speak a damn word. She turned her attention back to Max. “In return for what?"

“In return for letting me go.” She inclined her head towards her saddlebags. “With half the money from the St. Louis job.”

Flint snorted. “You think we’d agree to that.”

Max shrugged. “Your alternative is to keep hunting us. One out of the four of us could very well wind up dead, and I would dislike that a great deal.” Her eyes rested on Eleanor sorrowfully.

“You seem to be okay with your partner heading for the end of a noose.” Flint looked at her critically. “Why’s that?’

Max shrugged again. “In time all good partnerships must come to an end. Ours has run its course.”

There was another noise from Silver and this time Max nudged his shoulder with her knee till he shut up.

She faced Flint and Eleanor. “I have stolen nothing from your town, no one has been harmed here. There is no reason why you have to keep after me.”

“Are you listening to this horse shit?” Flint spat in the dirt. “Come on, Eleanor.”

Eleanor didn’t move. There was something more. She could sense it. She looked from Silver to Max again and then said, “What is it?”

Max hesitated, her gaze darting to Flint then back to Eleanor. “I want to speak to you alone.”

“Hell no.” Flint started, but Eleanor nodded.

“All right."

 

*  *  *

 

She took few steps off to the side and so did Max. They weren’t out of sight, but they were mostly out of earshot at least.

“What’s your real play in this?” Eleanor hissed. “Do you really think you can get away with this? Even if we did take your deal, which Flint will never go for, the law will still –“

“Fuck the law.” Max said eloquently. “Come with me.”

“What?” Eleanor stared at her. “Are you serious?”

 “Eleanor, come with me. We can go anywhere we want. It doesn’t matter.”

“With stolen money? It matters.”

Max shook her head impatiently. “Eleanor, that money was made by workers for wealthy businessmen. The workers who labored for it are only going to see a pittance of it. The rest will simply go into their master’s wallets. I don’t steal from people who truly earned it.”

Eleanor could see her point but it still went against everything she had ever known.

“Eleanor, come with me.” Max reached out and took her hand. “Please.”

She could only imagine what Flint was making of this. Eleanor stared down at her hand held in Max’s. “You seduced me knowing full well you intended to rob the bank and leave town. You just betrayed your partner, leaving him to go to prison or worse. How can I trust you?”

Max hesitated. “I know that seems cruel on my part, but if you trust me, you will have to trust that I had a good reason for it.” Her eyes searched Eleanor’s face beseechingly. “Did that night together mean nothing?”

“I thought one night with you was only one night!”

“I lied.” Max said steadily. “I want you for the rest of your nights and your days and forever. Please Eleanor. We can go wherever we want, live wherever we want.”

“But…” Eleanor cast about for a reason to cling to the hardscrabble town where she had made a name for herself. “This is my home.”

Max drew closer, gazing at her with steadfast eyes. “This desert is just sand, Eleanor. It can’t love you back.”

“And you can?” Eleanor meant to sound skeptical, but it came out soft and yearning, betraying the anguish hidden in her own heart.

“With my whole heart.” Max reached up to cup her cheek. “I will love you, Eleanor with my whole heart. Run away with me.”

 

 *  *  *

 

There were times in life that you had to make a choice and decide where you drew the line. Eleanor had always known that, even as a child. She had always been good at drawing the line and holding her ground.

Even when the line was damned hard.

 

 *  *  *

 

It was with a heavy heart that Eleanor had turned and walked back to Flint. With every step she wished there was some other way, but there wasn’t, and she knew what she was doing.

Flint stood there with his arms crossed, his attention torn between watching her and Max, and Silver, still tied in the dirt. He straightened up with obvious relief as she approached.

“What’d she want?”

“She still wants to trade Silver for a chance.” Eleanor faced him evenly. “And half the money.”

Flint guffawed loudly. “Still can’t believe she has first the balls to betray her partner, and now she still wants us to let her go with half the money? Bullshit.”

“I know.” Eleanor sighed. “I know.”

“So what else?” Flint demanded. “There’s something more, isn’t there? Why else would she need to talk to you all private like?”

“She wants me to go with her.” Eleanor said slowly.

That just set Flint off into a fit of laughing. He leaned over, resting his hands on his knees, still laughing. When he finally straightened up, wiping the tears from his eyes, Eleanor just looked at him.

“You done?”

“That’s something all right. That’s just.” Flint shook his head, still chuckling. “You ready to take ‘em in yet?”

Eleanor didn’t drop her gaze and didn’t speak, and slowly Flint’s expression changed. He stared at her incredulously, and then looked at Max.

“Do you know what you’re asking her to do?”

“Yes.” Max drew closer.

Flint shook his head in disgust. “Eleanor, you’re smarter than this. Don’t make a mistake you’ll regret your whole life.”

Eleanor looked up at him. “Flint, you’ve known me a long time. You  _know_ me. You know I always trust my gut.”

“Yeah, I know.” Flint scowled. “And how many times has that served you right?”

“About 75%.” Eleanor jutted her chin out. “But I’m willing to risk it.”

“Seriously?”

Eleanor moved in close, close enough that she could speak quietly, just to him. “Flint, haven’t you ever wanted…ever wanted someone so badly you’d do anything for them, give up anything for them? Risk everything for them?” She was pleading with him to understand, to back her on this. She didn’t have any right to, but she needed it all the same.

Something flickered in Flint’s eyes and another time Eleanor would have wanted to know the meaning of that look, but today she didn’t have time

“Even your job, your whole future?” He asked, gazing at her.

Eleanor hesitated. “I have no way of knowing for certain, whether I’m wrong or right here, but deep down somehow…” she looked over her shoulder at Max who stood there, so hopefully, her eyes fixed on Eleanor. Eleanor smiled at her and swung her gaze back to Flint. “I know that woman is my future.”

Flint sighed again and she braced herself for another argument, or worse having to pull a gun on him. She didn’t want to have to do that to Flint, one of the few people she considered a friend, but she would if she had to.

“Goddamnit.” He said. “You’ll send word if you need help?”

Eleanor stared up at him. “You mean that?”

“You know I just want what’s best for you.” He said gruffly.

“Even if it’s breaking the law?”

“Even if it’s breaking the law.” Flint wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close and Eleanor hugged him back. “Look after yourself, okay?”

“I will.” Eleanor promised. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Same for you?”

“I’ll do my best.” Flint said wryly.

Eleanor grinned.

There was a muffed cough and they all looked at Silver who was still on the ground, glaring at them. Flint tipped his hat back and just gazed at him.

“I guess we both have a ways to go.”

Eleanor nodded.

Flint held out his hand. “See you around, sheriff.”

Eleanor hid a smile. “You too, marshal.” They shook hands and Flint bent down to pick up the saddlebag, loading it over his horse.

“His horse is over there.” Max nodded to a horse tied to a bush a few feet away.

“Thanks.” Flint nodded, hesitating. “You’ll look after her?”

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she headed to her horse, but Max gave him a solemn nod. “I give you my word.”

“Good. See that you keep it.” Flint tipped his hat to her. “Best of luck to both of you.”

Max fetched her own horse from behind one of the boulders and swung up into the saddle. She looked at Eleanor. “Ready?”

Eleanor cast one last look at Flint standing there, the horses, and the money, and Silver slung over the back of his horse like a sack of grain, watching them balefully through his curls. “Ready.”

They started riding.

 

 *  *  *

 

A few weeks later, in a hotel room in San Francisco, Eleanor woke to Max kissing her thigh. She smiled, curling her fingers through Max’s hair, thinking she had never seen anything so beautiful.

Surprisingly, the further they had ridden from Nassau, the freer Eleanor had felt. When they’d made camp that night, their bedrolls laid out beside each other, she had pressed Max down on the blankets and made her come under the full sky of stars watching overhead.

Now here they were in San Francisco, and as much Eleanor loved the desert, she found the wild, still growing city was an adventure all of its own. The smell of the sea drifted through the window and she realized that she was happy.

She looked at Max, smiling at her, loving the sight of Max here beside her.  

Max rested her chin on Eleanor’s thigh. “Any regrets?”

“Not a goddamn one.” Eleanor leaned down to kiss her. The longer they were together, the more she knew she’d been right when she’d told Flint that Max was her future. And now, kissing Max, with the promise of a new today before them, Eleanor had never seen the future look so damned bright.


End file.
